It is time for a relay.

It seems so long ago, those days in 2002 when the Spanish Society of Rheumatology and the Mexican College of Rheumatology came into contact and decided to join their two journals and create a new one, Reumatología Clínica, with the objective of adding our efforts and indexing a Spanish language Rheumatology journal for the first time.

It also seems long ago, March 2005 when, after many efforts, the first number of Reumatología Clínica appeared, starting with a statement of intention signed by then editors A. Laffón and J. Vázquez-Mellado: “As of now, Reumatología Clínica must be the journal of reference in Spanish for all rheumatologists and associated disciplines in the Spanish speaking world.”

Yes, it seems long ago, although by that time most of those who today step aside to let new blood flow to the pages of to our journal already worked on the editorial board.

When one looks back, one appreciates aspects that sometimes pass by silently during daily work and can reflect on all of the moments lived, the good, the not so good, and see our journal evolve. From the initial problems related to obtaining material to put together each number to the current point of having so many that it is difficult to publish them in short order. From working with paper based files and typewritten manuscripts to digital documents and the practical disappearance of paper. From our physical meetings in the editors office in Barcelona to the weekly meetings to discuss submissions and their evaluation on both sides of the Atlantic.

We have grown and changed with Reumatología Clínica. The disappointments of the first two evaluations for the journals Medline inclusion are still fresh. The first, which in spite of not being admitted gave us hope to continue our work. The second, which after sorting many obstacles also resulted in non-admittance and became a motive of frustration, also became our drive to try a third time and, finally, achieve one of the objectives planned in 2002 between our two societies.

But Medline indexing is not the end of the road, but the beginning. There is still a lot of work to be done. Currently, the web page of our journal receives 600,000 annual visits with a growth rate of 110% in the past year, constituting the most widely read spanish language rheumatology journal in the world. The outgoing editorial board turns things over to the new board members so they can lead this ship to new waters, such as its inclusion in the ISI Web of Knowledge in order to obtain an impact factor and help in its internationalization.

These new objectives will not be easy to achieve and will require everyone's work. We will need new blood, new ideas, new illusions and a lot of work, something we are sure that the new editorial board will provide. Those of us who for a decade have been leading Reumatología Clínica now step aside in order that the new members of the editorial board advance firmly towards new objectives, sustaining themselves on our experience their new tasks.

We cannot leave without thanking the collaboration from all of the staff at Elsevier Spain and Elsevier International, whose help and support have allowed the development of the journal in its current form. We would also like to thank the support of both the boards of the Mexican College of Rheumatology and the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, without them we could not have gotten to where we are today and a special mention to our Friends and colleagues such as A. Laffón who, although no longer with us physically, had the drive and dreams without which this editorial project would have been a lot harder.